


drama club

by goldenhjp



Category: High School Musical (Movies)
Genre: M/M, No One Mourns the Wicked, chad doesn't want to play basketball, chad has his own choreography, chad is a dancer, chad likes drama club, chad quits basketball, chad wants to be in drama, sharpay has two personalities, troy is a hypocrite, troy is a jerk, wicked musical
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-01
Updated: 2020-08-01
Packaged: 2021-03-06 02:41:37
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,364
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25645984
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/goldenhjp/pseuds/goldenhjp
Summary: Chad quits the basketball team and finally comes to terms with his decision to join the drama club.
Relationships: Chad Danforth/Ryan Evans
Comments: 2
Kudos: 168





	drama club

Sometimes, Chad wished that he had taken the easier route. He could have continued to play basketball, could’ve went to university with a scholarship but the most important thing to Chad was the fact that he didn’t want to play basketball for a living. 

Troy and the others hadn’t understood his need to dance, couldn’t even begin to believe that he had given up basketball for it.

He was satisfied with what he had decided but sometimes he wondered what it would have been like if he hadn’t put his foot down, demanding to his father that he wanted to dance and that he didn’t want to be put in a position where he would have to live his father’s own dream.

He may like basketball and he may be good at it but it wasn’t him and it never would be.

That reminded him of the time he had finally quit basketball.

_“Don’t be afraid to shoot the outside, Chad! Let’s do it!” Chad sighed, sweat rolling down his forehead. He ran for the ball, his hand just about grazing it before Troy grabbed it a second later and dribbled it around him and into the net._

_“Dude, nice shot… I’m gonna go take a break!” Chad told Troy, wiping away the sweat._

_“Sure thing, Chad!”_

_Chad had been holding out for the longest time because he was kind of scared of what his friends would think of his decision but it had to be done._

_He was finally going to tell the team what he wanted to do._

_He took a shower quickly and got changed, sitting down on the bench. Once he heard that the team was done playing, he sat back up and watched them enter the room, everyone shouting at each other playfully._

_“Guys…” Chad began, a nervous tick on his eyebrow forming, “Guys, I have to tell you something.”_

_The entire team turned to look at Chad which made him feel even worse, “What’s going on, Chad?” Troy asked in concern._

_He was so glad that he had already told Coach Bolton because he wanted to get out of the room as fast as he could when shit went down, “I’m…” Chad began but paused slightly, “I’m quitting the team.”_

_Chad closed his eyes as soon as he said it, waiting for the eruption and all too soon it happened, “What! Dude, what do you mean, you’re quitting?” Troy shouted, his hands up in the air in anger, “I thought we were all in this together? Wildcats?”_

_Everyone had begun to shout at him, wondering what the hell he was thinking._

_Chad had been sure that Troy wouldn’t fault him for his decision but it seemed he had underestimated the jerk in Troy, “Some things change, Troy.”_

_“Sure looks like it, huh?” Troy sighed, “Can you at least tell us the reason?”_

_“Dude, are you really going to leave us? The game is coming up in two weeks!” Zeke said._

_“I’m sorry, I just can’t continue to play something I have no interest in for my future. It’s different for you guys, you want a scholarship out of this. It’s not what I want and I would be bringing you guys down with me… plus, there is something else that I want to do.”_

_“You don’t want to play basketball in the future? What? Dude, you told me that you couldn’t wait to be able to play with the Redhawks at university! Was that just a lie?”Troy shouted again and Chad was beginning to form a headache._

_“It’s my father’s dream, not mine. I did it for him but I’ve decided to follow my own interests and see where it takes me. I don’t want to play basketball. Guys, it’s not like I won’t see you around. We’re still friends, right? I can still play basketball sometimes with the team.”_

_“Sure,” was all Chad got in response to his words from Troy._

_“Well, I’ll be seeing you around, okay? Come on, guys! We can still hang out, it’s not like this is goodbye!”_

_Chad didn’t get an answer and it made him feel a little upset… he guessed that ‘stick to the status quo’ was a little too serious to the Wildcats than Chad had realized._

_He wouldn’t be welcome to sit with the team anymore at lunch._

_He wouldn’t be able to hang out with them after school._

_Chad sure as hell wouldn’t be able to hang around with them when they figured out the reason he wanted to quit basketball in the first place._

_That he wanted to join the drama club instead._

_“I’ll… see you guys around…” Chad repeated himself and grabbed his bag, leaving the basketball team staring at his back as he walked away._

Chad didn’t regret what he had done and would never regret it. He was extremely happy with the way his life went after that, leading him to open the drama club door and join them.

_Chad took a deep breath and gripped the door handle, his heart rate picking up in his chest. The door swung open and he slowly edged his way in, hoping nobody would notice him until he wanted them to._

_He was in luck because the group was doing improv on stage and not paying attention to the door as he quickly took a seat in one of the chairs._

_He watched as they put together ideas and came up with words on the spot, he was fascinated by the entire situation. Chad leaned down in his seat quickly when Mrs. Darbus turned around to gather some papers but stopped, his eyebrows scrunching up. Didn’t he want to be found?_

_He watched as Mrs. Darbus’ eyes slowly looked up, making contact with him. The woman’s eyes narrowed in confusion, “Mr. Danforth, what are you doing in here? Aren’t you supposed to be with your posse?”_

_The entire drama club turned to look at him and Chad finally let himself sink down into the chair, “Um, Mrs. Darbus… I mean, Ma’am… I’ve decided to– to join, um…”_

_Chad couldn’t get the words out of his mouth and he froze, his eyes widening like a deer in the headlights._

_Mrs. Darbus gave him a questioning look but then she paused, an amused smile forming, “Are you, by chance, here to join the drama club?”_

_Chad was about to speak but nodded instead, his head down in embarrassment._

_“No need to be shy, I think we have some room in the drama club for a former basketball player. You aren’t here to spy on us are you? Bolton didn’t put you up to this?”_

_“No, ma’am… I quit basketball this morning and I’ve decided to do something that I’ve always wanted to do,” Chad told her, completely honest._

_“Well then, let’s see what you can do, shall we?” The woman gestured for Chad to join the drama club up on the stage and he nodded, slowly making his way up the stage stairs and amongst the group of people._

_They gave him confused looks and Chad couldn’t blame them. The thing that took the cake, however, was Sharpay’s reaction._

_“What! Danforth? What are you doing here?” Sharpay had a demanding expression on her face._

_Chad sighed, “I quit basketball,” he said, deciding not to sugar coat it._

_Sharpay gave him a disbelieving look but sized him up, “I see. Well, let’s see what you can do… we won’t accept people who have no interest in the arts.”_

_“I’ll try my best,” Chad told her and took his place at centre stage, “Mrs. Darbus, could you put on the soundtrack from the musical, ‘Wicked’, please?”_

_The woman nodded in surprise before putting the CD into the player. She looked at Chad, “Are you ready?”_

_“Yes,” Chad said and glanced over at Sharpay from the corner of his eye but he stopped when he realized that Ryan had been staring at him. The stare was intense and he couldn’t help but smile in his direction. Ryan scrunched up his eyebrows but returned the smile._

_The music began and Chad started to dance, remembering the choreography he had made to the first track called, ‘No One Mourns the Wicked’. He smiled genuinely and couldn’t help the happiness that crossed his face at the feeling he got when dancing._

_It was such a powerful feeling._

_He felt free._

_Free to be who he was._

_He felt like this was the starting point in his life._

_Chad danced like never before, confidence exuding from his very being._

_Once he finished the first song, he took an ending stance and not realizing that he had closed his eyes, opened them up and looked around._

_He saw the entire room gaping at him._

_Chad scrunched up his face in confusion, “Did I do something wrong?”_

_Mrs. Darbus shook her head, shock leaving her system, “No, no!” The woman shouted, shooting a beaming smile in Chad’s direction, “Welcome… to the drama club!”_

_Chad couldn’t help but return the smile, feeling accomplished for the first time in his life. He looked around and could see Sharpay raising her eyebrows at him, “Nice, didn’t know you could dance like that. Welcome to the drama club,” Sharpay said and Chad stood there, wondering whether or not he had entered an alternate universe. Sharpay had complemented him?_

_He could already tell that the Sharpay everyone else saw, wasn’t the Sharpay the drama club saw. The girl had a total personality adjustment._

_Chad felt like he had passed a test of some kind._

_Ryan was still staring at him but this time, there was something else in the boy’s eyes._

_Chad nearly gasped… was that, lust?_

_Chad paused for a second, checking Ryan out up and down before catching his eyes again. He smirked then… it turned out that there was more to the drama club than Chad had ever realized._

_He actually found Ryan Evans… cute and Chad knew that now that he had an interest in the boy, it wouldn’t go away._

_He felt like he was on cloud nine._

_Chad’s first impressions of the drama club were amazing and he was glad he had went with his decision. It was only his first day and he already knew that the drama club were more like family than a team. He would fit right in._

_Now, all he had to do was pursue a certain blonde._

Chad turned and looked at Ryan, a slight smile lighting his face. He was glad he had pursued the blonde.

There were a lot of problems, however, after the team found out about his involvement with the drama club.

_“Come on, Chad, we’re going to lunch,” Sharpay had told him with a smile and he knew that he would have to sit at the drama club table._

_“It’s your first time sitting with us so we have to make a good impression!” Ryan said happily, a beaming smile on his face._

_Chad couldn’t help but grin with him._

_“Yeah, everyone will want to know why you’re sitting there and then I’ll have the pleasure of watching the basketball team break down in tears. You didn’t tell them about drama, did you?” Sharpay asked._

_Chad winced, “No, I didn’t. I didn’t think it mattered…”_

_“Well, they will find out and what better way to do that then make it public knowledge…” Ryan told them, opening the lunch room doors, “Ready?”_

_Chad nodded and braced himself, following Sharpay, Ryan, Kelsi and a few others he had come to know to the drama club table, watching as one person pointed at him and then the entire room began to look at him questionably._

_He didn’t pay attention to it as he sat down, bringing his lunch out of his bag._

_“Incoming…” Sharpay said before they were there, giving Chad a sympathetic look. It was only one minute later that Troy and the other basketball players were standing in front of him._

_Troy’s face was a mixture of surprise, confusion, and anger as he looked at Chad._

_“Chad… dude, what are you doing at this table?” Troy asked him._

_Sharpay cut in before Chad could say anything, “Isn’t it obvious?” Sharpay began, her nose stuck up in the air like she smelled something foul, “He is in the drama club.”_

_“The drama club?” Troy questioned, his eyes glancing at Sharpay and then at Chad in anger, “You joined the drama club over basketball?”_

_“Troy, I told you…” Chad began but was cut off by Troy,_

_“The drama club, Chad? I know you said that you wanted to do something else but this was the only thing I didn’t have on my mind. You were never interested in drama!”_

_Chad sighed, “I’ve always been interested in drama, Troy… I guess it just means that you don’t know me as well as you thought. If you did, you would know that I loved dancing, my favourite musical is Wicked and I go to any musical that I can when I have the time.”_

_“Dude…” Troy began, “I…”_

_“No, Troy, It’s one thing to start singing with Gabriella and expect nobody to say anything to you about it but another to say something about me pursuing something that I love and expecting me to give it up because you don’t like it.”_

_“But Chad, I…”_

_“Buh, bye!” Sharpay said, her hand gesturing for them to leave and Ryan gave them the stink eye._

_“I don’t want to hear it, especially in front of an entire room full of people.” Chad said, returning his attention to his meal._

_Once they left, Sharpay gave Chad a sweet smile, “Don’t worry about them, you got us.”_

_Chad could only smile in answer._

After that, Chad had become the talk of the school. It eventually died down but he still heard stuff every now and then.

Chad walked over to Ryan and grabbed him around the waist, kissing his sweet lips, “You ready to go?”

Ryan gave his dance partner and boyfriend a beaming smile, “I sure am,” and then they left to go out on stage.

They had a show to perform.


End file.
